Many homeowners across southwestern Connecticut are removing trees to make sure they don't encounter damage the next time a major storm hits the region.

Hundreds of thousands of people lost power and many homes were heavily damaged when a rare autumn snowstorm knocked down trees across the area.

Arborists say that many defects aren't visible to the naked eye. However, they say that cracks in the tree, animals burrowing into the trunk or even mushrooms growing out of the wood are warnings that something is wrong.